Liquid-fuel buhner



, I. w. KNOPP.

LIQUID FUEL BURNER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13. I916.

1,318,883. Patentml Oct. 14,1919.

INYENTUR JULIUS W. KNOPP, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

LIQUID-FUEL BURNER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

Application filed March 13, 1916. Serial No. 83,835.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JULIUS W. KNorr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Liquid-Fuel Burner; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, ref erence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the character of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

This invention relates more particularly to means for the burning of crude oil.

It is found in the use of crude oil burners that they rapidly carbonize and become clogged and inefficient, thus requiring frequent cleaning, which is difficult to accomplish and takes considerable time. This and the inconvenience incident thereto has made the burning of crude oil impractical for a great many uses.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of a simple and efficient burner of the character described which is selfcleaning and highly efficient in its action, and which avoids the objections incident to the use of all other burners of this class of which I have knowledge.

Further objects and advantages of the invention Will be apparent from the following description and drawings.

The invention is fully described in the fol lowing specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional detail of a furnace embodying my burner, with the latter in central vertical section. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the drainage tube cap of the burner, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the rotatable part of the burnerv having. pins projecting therefrom.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the base portion of a furnace or boiler equipped with my invention and illustrated, in the present instance, as forming a com bustion chamber 2 in the lower portion of the furnace. The base 1 projects beyond the side of the upper or boiler part of the furnace and is provided through the top of este d t Parties with o e r more open ings 8, one being shown in the present instance, which open communication between the atmosphere and the interior of the combustion chamber 2.

In the opening 3 is disposed a shell 4, in the present instance, of cylindrical form and preferably of less diameter than that of the opening in which it is disposed to provide a space therearound. The upper end of the shell 4 is provided with an outwardly extending flange 5, which rests on a ledge 6 or other suitable support at the upper end of the opening 3 and coacts therewith to support the shell in suspended position within the opening. The shell 4 preferably extends entirely through the opening 3 and a shortdistance into the combustion chamber 2.

'Mounted in this combustion chamber, below the opening 3, is a cup-like member 7, the side wall ofwhich preferably terminates at its upper end without the lower end of the shell 4 and in slightly vertical spaced relation thereto, as shown. It will be understood, however, that while this is the preferred arrangement it may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A rotatable body 8, in the present instance, of substantially spherical form, is mounted in the upper portion of the member 7 in sub stantially central relation to the axis thereof and the shell 4 and is supported for vertical rotation by trunnions or shaft parts 9, which project from opposite sides thereof and rest on the top of the side walls of the cup member 7 or may be mounted in any suitable manner. The outer trunnion 9 projects through a registering bearing in the side wall of the base 1 and carries a crank 10 at its outer end to facilitate a turning there of. The member 8 preferably projects a short distance into the lower end of the shell 4 as well as-down into the cup 7.

When the burner is in use crude oil is caused to drop or feed in a properly regulated manner onto the ball or rotatable member 8 through the shell 4 from any suitable source of supply, as for instance from a superposed feed pipe 11.

In using the burner, oil is first permitted to flow onto the member and spread thereover and when such member has become covered or substantially covered with the oil it is lighted and burns entirely around the ball or member, the feeding or dropping of the Oil. 911 9 th bein eamed dur the use of the burner so that oil is supplied in regulated quantity thereto. It will be apparent that the member 8 will soon become highly heated and thus facilitate a burning of the oil as it flows thereon. It will be understood that the draft enters the combustion chamber 2 through the shell l so that the flame from the burning oil on the member 8 will be carried by the draft into the combustion chamber through the space between the adjacent ends of the shell at and cup member 7.

It is found in practice that the action of the burner is quite materially facilitated by providing the shell 4 near its bottom with an interior flange 12, which restricts the passage through the shell at a point slightly above the burner member 8. It is also preferable to space the shell from the wall of the opening 3 to permit heat from within the combustion chamber to enter such space and heat the shell.

If a light crude oil or distillate is employed, the carbon which will be deposited on the top of the member 8 will be burned off, due to the highly heating of such member and the enveloping of the same with the flame, and such burning of the carbon will be facilitated by slightly turning the member 8 at intervals. If heavy crude oil is used the oil will cover the whole surface of the member 8 and keep it clean, the carbon passing oif from the bottom thereof in the form of tar. To take care of such tar drip pings the bottom of the cup 7 is provided with a tube 13, which projects down through the bottom of the base 1 in vertical register with the portion of the member 8 from which the tar drips, thus permitting the tar as it drips from the member 8 to pass through the tube 13 and into a subjacent receptacle provided therefor. It is found in practice that a burner will produce from one-half pint to one pint of tar a day, clepending on the specific gravity of the oil used. It is also found that this burner, when burning crude oil and properly adjusted, will produce about 50% blue blaze, and the balance pure white blaze without smoke.

14 designates a cap which may be placed over the top of the drainage pipe 13 when a low grade of crude oil is not being used, as it is only with this grade that the tar residue is produced. It sometimes happens, in the use of high grade oils, that in starting a burner the oil is permitted to flow onto the member 8 and from the same before being lighted. In such case the oil would flow through the tube 18 if the top thereof was not closed. The cap 14 is provided with a transverse'groove in its top, which directs any oil flowing thereon over the side of the cap and into the bottom of the cup 7 where it may burn when the burner becomes sufficiently heated to ignite the same.

If crude oils of a low grade are used, it is preferable to provide the member 8 with a plurality of projections 15, as shown in Fig. 3, which projections become highly heated and facilitate a burning of the oil.

It is evident that with my burner the oil is fed thereto from above, thus preventing the clogging of the feed pipes which frequently occurs in crude oil burners by reason of the oil being fed to the burner from be low. It is also found in the types of burners heretofore used in which the oil is fed from below that water will gather in the pipe, and when this water comes in contact with the hot part of the burner it will cause an explosion. This objectionable feature is eliminated in my overhead feed burner.

I wish it understood that while I have shown and described my burner in connection with a particular type of furnace that it is not restricted to use in such connection, and also that it is capable of numerous modifications and arrangements of the parts without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim a new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination, a combustion chamber having an air inlet passage through a wall thereof, a shell disposed in said passage and projecting down into the combustion chamber, a movable body substantially spherical in form disposed adjacent to the inner end of said shell in the path of draft therethrough, and means for feeding a liquid fuel down through said shell onto said body, said fuel spreading around and burning on the body.

2. In a liquid fuel burner, a cup, a shell disposed above said cup with its lower end in adjacent spaced relation to the upper edge of the cup, said shell forming an air inlet passage, a rotatable body substantially spherical in form disposed adjacent to the inner ends of said cup and shell within the same, and means for feeding the fuel down onto said body.

3. In a liquid fuel burner, a combustion chamber, a member substantially of cup form mounted in said chamber and having its top open, a shell mounted in the upper portion of said chamber over said member and forming an air inlet passage, said shell havin its inner end of smaller diameter than the upper end of said member and terminating in adjacent relation thereto, a body substantially spherical in form mounted interiorly of said member and shell adjacent to their inner ends, means for rotating said body and means for feeding a fuel down onto said body through said shell.

1. In a liquid fuel burner, a casing forming a combustion chamber and having a top opening tothe atmosphere, a member of substantially oup form mounted in said casing below said opening and having its top open, a shell disposed in said opening and forming an air inlet passage, said shell having its lower end portion corresponding in shape to the upper end of said member but of les diameter and terminating adjacent to the upper end of said member, a body substantially spherical in form mounted for rotary movements in the upper portion of said member in position to have liquid fuel feed thereon through said shell and to then spread and burn entirely around the body, and drainage means disposed below said body in the bottom portion of said member.

5. 'In a liquid fuel burner, a casing having an opening in its top, a member of sub stantially cup form disposed Within said Copies 02 this patent may be obtained for casing below said opening and having its top open and terminating adjacent to the lower end of said opening, a body substantially spherical in form rotatably mounted in the upper portion of said member, and means for feedin a fuel onto the top of said body throug said opening, said fuel ipreading and burning entirely around the ody.

6. In a liquid fuel burner, a ball-like body on and around which liquid fuel feeds, spreads and burns, means for feeding fuel onto said body, and a drainage passage disposed below said body in vertically spaced relation thereto in position for the drippings from said body to fall therein.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

JULIUS W. KNOPP.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

